


Timing

by m4xw3ll



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 12:12:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17223866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m4xw3ll/pseuds/m4xw3ll
Summary: Bucky never knows if it's a good time to call Steve. And Steve should really learn how to put his phone on silent when he's on a mission.





	Timing

**Author's Note:**

> Set between Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War. I know I'm pretty late to post this, but it's been sitting on my desktop since before Infinity War, I promise.

Bucky doesn't know if it's a good time to call Steve. He never does, but he tries anyway. Holding up the phone, he logs into his Skype account and presses the green phone symbol next to Steve's name (he totally hasn't nicknamed him 'Star Spangled Man'). Shuri had taught him about Skype a while ago and Bucky was pretty sure it was the best thing happening to him since coming out of cryo and seeing Steve pace up and down and then running up to him, hugging him tightly. He was also pretty sure there had been at least a little crying involved, but damn if he ever admitted to that. Right now, as he waits in Shuri's lab, he is fine.

 

Steve on the other hand patiently waited for the right time to ambush the mercenaries who'd taken a civilian ship hostage on the south-western shore of Africa. He watched them from one side of the door to the bridge, Sam on the other side, hand hovering over his Redwing commands. The moment they boarded the ship, Steve had had the feeling he had forgotten something. And when he heard his phone ring, he knew exactly what it was. Oops.

 

The mercenaries turned to each other, confused looks on their faces. But Steve? He smiled as he pulls out his phone and answered the call, "Hey Buck."

 

"Bad timing?" Bucky asked, clearly looking behind Steve and frowning.

 

"Oh, no, it's fine. Wait a second." Steve tossed the phone to Sam as he stood up and then turned to the mercenaries. It didn't take him long to parcour over the controls, kick one of them in the chest and send him flying into his comrade. Another one pulled out his weapon but Steve ducked just as he heard the gun fire. He crouched around the controls, kicked the mercenary in the kneecap and brought him down, disarming him with relative ease. Then Natasha was by his side, locked the last mercenary's head between her thighs and punched him straight in the face.

 

"You couldn't wait five minutes to talk to him, could you?" she asked as she stood up again, grabbing the pistol from the now unconscious mercenary and tucking it away safely in the process.

 

"Sorry about that," Steve apologized with a small smile on his face telling that he's absolutely _not_ sorry for wanting to talk to Bucky.

 

"Go get your boyfriend," Sam called out to them. He held the phone up so that Steve could watch Bucky doing something Shuri once described as a _facepalm_. "I think he's drooling and if that stuff comes out of your phone and ruins my clothes, I'll hold you responsible forever!" Yeah, and now Steve would be facepalming if he could be bothered into embarrassment.

 

"I'm getting Wanda," Natasha said, smirking. "We're clearing out the rest of the ship. You go have fun. Tell James I say hi."

 

Steve sighed. They always made fun of Steve for skyping until late and dragging them along to Wakanda at every possible occasion. "Sorry for bothering," Bucky instantly apologized the second Steve took hold of his phone again. "I just wanted to see how you're doing, but clearly you're fine."

 

He arched one eyebrow up in that certain movement that tells Steve he's not quite approving of the recklessness involved, but Bucky also smiled a lot more these days. It made Steve happy and at the same time, he ached to be with Bucky again. Luckily, they would head back to Wakanda after this mission. "Of course I am, I left all the stupid with you." It's an old joke by now, but it still made Bucky chuckle. He almost looked like when they were back in Brooklyn, but the sadness never quite faded from his face. Stupid, still beautiful face. "I miss you."

 

"I miss you, too," Bucky answered softly.

 

"Are you okay?" And really, they talked about this. Steve shouldn't be the one asking but he can't help but worry. After all, he left Bucky all alone in Wakanda.

 

"Fine, I just –"

 

"Sad white brother!" Shuri suddenly shouted in the background. She walked past them and looked around until she found Bucky. "There you are. I need your help, sad white brother." And Bucky didn't look like he'd be okay but he also didn't look as mortified as the first few times Shuri had called on him.

 

"Don't call him that," Steve tried to berate the small crazy scientist as she appeared right behind Bucky's shoulder, bouncing to see him clearly and grinning.

 

"Yeah, yeah. I will stop when he's done calling me an easily excited child." Shuri scoffed but she didn't look mad. Bucky was probably the only white person on earth allowed to do that. "I have a task for you, my sad white brother!"

 

"Shuri," Bucky tried to reason, "I'm already missing an arm and with all the tests you set me up with –"

 

"It's for my other brother's suit." Shuri looked at him seriously, hands on her hips and one foot tapping on the floor impatiently. "Come on, I need your help. You can talk to your boyfriend when he's back."

 

"One day, we will have to talk about this whole boyfriend-thing." Bucky sighed and shook his head.

 

"Yeah, and how you're the one putting yourself in more danger than me." Steve knew they'd never talk about either of those things. And honestly, who could blame them? As long as Bucky could have a somewhat stable life, Steve would be fine. That's what he kept telling himself at least. It didn't matter if Bucky ever remembered what they had. He's been working on bringing all his memories in the right order, so Steve wouldn't bother him by reminding him of something he could be uncomfortable with now. He wouldn't forgive himself for that. As long as Bucky was happy, he would be too.

 

"No, really." Bucky looked at him seriously. "After what, eighty years? And you still haven't proposed! It's a thing now, I saw it on the news."

 

Steve blushed, mouth agape, and he could hear Sam chuckling. "I get to be your best man, right?"

 

"Tell him no," Bucky instantly jumped in, "he would lose my ring on purpose!"

 

The blush hadn't faded entirely, but Steve was back to smiling. "Get Shuri to make you a new arm where I can put the ring, then we'll talk. I'll be back in a few hours."

 

"You got it, future brother-in-law!" Shuri beamed and it looked almost like she was relieved. Like she's been waiting for this the whole time. "Come on, my sad white brother, I'll have that design for your arm ready for inspection in a few hours. And tell your future husband to come see me to approve of the design when he's back!"

 

Steve couldn't help the grin spreading on his face. "I heard that," he informed Bucky. "You better get going, though. Promise you'll take care of yourself."

 

"You too." It's not that hard to at least  _try_ if Bucky's the one insisting. Steve had learnt from his past mistakes. Although Bucky still berated him, half an hour for every bruise he brought back from a mission. But now Steve had all the more reason to come back. He was pretty sure he and Bucky had a lot of catching up to do.

 

 


End file.
